Good Practices Brochure: Stateless Women and Girls NGO Statement on Asia and the Pacific The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) is an open and growing network consisting of more than 450 NGOs and individuals from 38 countries committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia-Pacific region. Through its NGO Statement on Asia and the Pacific,11 APRRN advocated at the eightieth meeting of the UNHCR Standing Committee on 23–25 March 2021 for UNHCR and States in the region to address the severe ongoing rights violations affecting refugees, especially women and girls. The pandemic exacerbates the lack of protection for forcibly displaced and stateless women and girls, further exposing gaps in national legal protection and human rights frameworks in the region. While some non-signatory States host significant numbers of displaced persons and address urgent humanitarian needs, severe rights violations persist, including arbitrary detention, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), refoulement, lack of access to justice, education, lawful employment, and, critically, healthcare. Furthermore, the current pandemic does not discriminate based on legal status. To effectively protect all persons within territories and rebuild economies, States must include displaced and stateless populations in their COVID-19 response plans. Refugee women and girls are often the first responders to communities’ needs, but they also continue to suffer from serious human rights abuses, including SGBV and lack of access to justice, preventive measures and adequate legal representation. Rates of SGBV spiked in 2020, especially domestic and intimate partner violence, and forced and child marriage cases. Women and girls are at heightened risks of sexual exploitation and trafficking. States and UNHCR must include refugee women and girls in rapid risk and impact assessments and meaningfully consult them. Implementing a gender-sensitive response to the pandemic and the recovery phase is essential. Forcibly displaced lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other (LGBTIQ+) people also experience high rates of SGBV. States must address the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, in partnership with organizations led by LGBTIQ+ refugees, to secure their immediate safety, including through resettlement. Issues highlighted include the following: 11 https://www.icvanetwork.org/system/files/versions/Asia_Pacific_SCom_March23_Joint_ NGO_Statement_ORAL%20.pdf 16